What I Unexpectedly Learned About the 23rd Kentucky Infantry

Like what I presume virtually all Civil War students or enthusiasts do, I read about the Civil War to learn more about it and hopefully, enjoy some good writing. Sometimes, however, books take readers in unexpected directions. Such an instance for me occurred while reading volume 2 of David Powell's series on the Atlanta Campaign (see my thoughts on it here), a work that pleasantly surprised me by including details that apply to my own research, information unlike anything I had seen previously.

A few years ago, when I began my project exploring Campbell County, Kentucky in the Civil War, I started my research by identifying soldiers from the area, focusing on their individual lives and service. One of my first finds was that more than 150 of these men had enlisted in the 23rd Kentucky Infantry. I was caught off-guard to see so many names in one unit, but it was a good early discovery, a sign that I would find more information than I expected at the time.

Since then, any mention of the 23rd grabs my attention, but while I try to maintain a basic understanding of the unit’s record, I honestly spend much more effort looking into the individual soldiers than on the details of battles and military maneuvering.

The 23rd marched and fought in most of the largest fights and campaigns in the Western Theater of the war, from their reserve role in Thomas Crittenden's II Corps at Perryville, to active fighting at Stones River, Chickamauga, and the Atlanta Campaign, plus involvement with the Tullahoma Campaign, a difficult task despite the lack of bloodshed during it. As I continued to read about these fights and campaigns, I never really saw any especially memorable descriptions of their work. They fought and suffered casualties in various battles but usually came off as supporting players in most battles (though maybe I’m still missing something about another fight.)

Eventually I learned about the fight at Brown’s Ferry, Tennessee in October of 1863, where the Federals began to work to get more supplies to their troops in Chattanooga. The 23rd took a leading part in this battle, with some of its soldiers being the first men to land on the Confederate-held western bank of the Tennessee River. This lesser-known contest was a Union success, allowing the opening of what was quickly dubbed the "Cracker Line." Until now, I took that contest as being their most notable action, but some fighting on Georgia soil may change that view.

In chapter 8 of this book, Powell explores the Battle of Pickett’s Mill on May 27, 1864. I was not familiar with the details of this contest, but perhaps that lack of knowledge left me more excited when I learned that the 23rd (in William Hazen’s brigade of Thomas Woods’ division of the IV Army Corps commanded by Oliver Howard) was among the Federal units at the front of this fight. This work gives a terrific recap of this fight, painting a picture of what a tough contest it was and the many challenges the men, including in the 23rd, faced.

From battlefields.org

I started dog-earing the pages in this chapter, so now that section of my book is full of bent corners, but I don’t care. I certainly will re-read that chapter, maybe soon.

Additionally, I had never before realized that Ambrose Bierce’s The Crime at Pickett’s Mill was about the action Hazen’s men, including the 23rd, saw. I guess I had not read it since I started paying attention to the 23rd. His essay must be the most literary account of any of the 23rd’s fighting from the entire war. I have not seen any regimental history of the 23rd, or even any writings by local soldiers describing their work. Heck, even Spared & Shared appears to have nothing from the regiment, so Bierce’s essay is a nice perspective to have.

More good fortune soon fell into my lap in the shape of a pair of National Tribune stories written by members of the 23rd. (I also have an article from that newspaper about the regiment at Chickamauga, written by the same lieutenant who authored one of these reports. It is quite long, so I’ll have to re-read it.

I planned to discuss these accounts in this post, but that will take quite a bit of space, so I’ll make a separate post. Combined with Powell's work and Bierce’s account, I stumbled upon intriguing new information for my research. (And I do know that here is a book concerning this battle, a new title now on my list of future acquisitions.)

I would not have seen any of these details had I not read this book. I certainly did not expect to find information relevant to my project in a book on the Atlanta Campaign. Discoveries like this are one of the joys of reading. You never know what you might find.